Night of the Scarecrow

During the drought, the desperate townsfolk strike a pact with a powerful warlock who grants them immunity in exchange for a bountiful harvest. The arrangement seems to work at first as crops flourish and the community savors its sudden good fortune.

Soon after the deal, the warlock begins to exert influence and corrupts the town into hedonism and excess. People revel in pleasures and neglect old customs, while the seeds of dark power spread among the streets.

The mayor Silas Goodman's daughter is swept into the warlock's orbit and seduced by his promises of unlimited pleasures. Her actions help embolden the warlock and deepen the town's moral rot.

The townspeople devise a plan to dispose of the warlock and safeguard their harvest, culminating in stealing his magic book. They believe that possessing the book will ensure the warlock can no longer threaten them.

During a ritual, the townspeople drug the warlock and crucify him in the town square. The act is meant to end the threat once and for all, and it marks the turning point from chaos to grim retribution.

The warlock's bones are buried under the cornfield, and a charm is placed to keep the field perpetually bountiful. The town seals the rite with ash and soil, hoping the harvest will endure.

Silas marks a page in the spell book showing how to destroy the warlock and issues an edict that all descendants must erect a scarecrow as a warning. The town records and family oath bind future generations to protect the seal.

In the present day, Mayor Goodman decides to build a mall on the old cornfield. The plan ignores the town's dark history and sets the stage for a new confrontation.

Two drunken workers driving a bulldozer at night break the stone coffin, releasing the warlock's spirit which then possesses the scarecrow. The possessed figure begins stalking the town to recover his missing magic book.

The Scarecrow goes on a killing spree to retrieve the magic book, terrorizing residents and destroying any who stand in his way. The town's fear grows as the killer scavenges clues about the book's location.

The pastor reveals the town's story to Claire Goodman and her boyfriend, explaining the legacy of the warlock and the scarecrow. He is killed by the Scarecrow before he can aid them further.

The Scarecrow kills the mayor and his wife when they refuse to divulge the whereabouts of the magic book. Claire and the sheriff are left to carry on the fight in the face of this tragedy.

Sheriff Goodman explains that all first-born of the Goodman family are given the magic book and that clues to its location can be found in the attic. Claire and her allies begin to piece together how to use the relic to end the threat.

The Sheriff defends his family and enables Claire and her boyfriend to escape before being killed. They flee with the book, carrying the last hope of stopping the Scarecrow and the warlock.

The book reveals that the only way to destroy the scarecrow is to destroy the warlock's bones. The crew attempts to dissolve the bones with acid, but the boyfriend spills it. Claire defeats the scarecrow by pulverizing the bones under a rock crusher, ending the nightmare.